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Decision on a legal challenge of three non-governmental organisations against approval of a soybeans from Monsanto (Bayer)

Thursday, 12 September 2019

Today, the European Court of Justice published the decision on a legal case filed by Testbiotech together with the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER) and the environmental organisation Sambucus (C-82/17 P). The organisations are concerned about the risks connected with genetically engineered soybeans produced by Monsanto (Bayer) and sold under the brand name “Intacta”. According to the decision of the Court, the risks of the genetically engineered soybeans have been investigated sufficiently before they were allowed for import.

According to a new scientific publication, genetically engineered mosquitoes produced by Oxitec (Intrexon) have escaped human control after trials in Brazil. They are now spreading in the environment. The yellow fever mosquitos (Aedes aegypti) are genetically engineered to make it impossible for their offspring to survive. After release they were supposed to mate with female mosquitos of the species which are transmitting infectious diseases, such as Dengue fever, to diminish the natural populations.

19 August 2019 / The GeneTip research project was a joint enterprise carried out from 2017 until 2019 by the Universities of Bremen and Vechta, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna and Testbiotech, Munich. The researchers focussed mainly on risks associated with the uncontrolled spread into the environment of newly designed genetically engineered organisms. In particular, the project examined plants and animals with a so-called gene-drive.

6 August 2019 / According to research undertaken by experts at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), gene-editing errors in the genome of the animals are, in many cases, often being overlooked. This was the finding from the FDA genome analyses of cattle genetically engineered not to grow horns. The animals were genetically engineered by Recombinetics; the company also filed a patent on the genetically engineered cattle. The cattle have for some years been held up and presented as a positive example for the application of new genetic engineering techniques.